Finding Beauty
by EverythingBad
Summary: How can you search for beauty, when beauty is found within? As the years passed, she fell into despair, and lost all hope, for who could ever learn to love a Broken Soul ? ... Belle just wanted a fresh start and Adam just wanted to finish school, however little did they know a bus stop encounter will change their outlook on life and ...love.
1. Chapter 1

Bus Stop by JT and MF

C1

Adam sat on the kitchen counter drinking tea, his long fingers had a tight grip on the small cup, and his knuckles were practically going white. He has been under a lot of stress, since it's his last year at Rose Academy of Medicine, and here he was sitting on the counter drinking coffee waiting for one of his roommate, Lumiere, to find his stethoscopes and blood pressure machine. He had 2 clinical practical to do and he was running 10 minutes late for the bus.

"Lumiere, what the hell is taking so long?" Adam yelled upstairs, he was growing very impatient and very annoyed with his roommate. _I swear if he did something messed up with my equipment, so help me God I'll…_

"Here you go, dude," Lumiere says, walking leisurely down the stairs. "No need to get your panties in a twist."

"What the hell, man? You know I have practicals today," Adam says, quickly taking his equipment from his friend. "Is it even sanitized?"

"Don't worry. I cleaned it up after… you know," he says, grinning and winking. Adam hears a girlish giggle from upstairs, and no, he doesn't even want to know. "You'll do fine today, bro. You're a total beast when it comes to this medical crap."

I smile at him, forgetting my anger. "Thanks."

Running late for the bus, he quickly gathered his things from the kitchen counter, causing the cup he was drinking from to fall to the ground covering the ground with French vanilla tea. He stopped what he was doing immediately, and quickly gathered the chipped cup in his hands and delicately touched the broken area. He remembers his childhood and going to his grandmother house on the weekends. Her house smelled like creamy French vanilla tea. _Oh, I miss her, _he thinks, sadly.

_Damn! Collect yourself. It's a stupid cup. _But deep down he knew he would be spending his time after school mending the priceless cup. Adam quickly stores the damaged cup, putting it into one of the kitchen drawers, grabs his backpack and leaves the house, rushing to catch his bus.

Hurrying down the street, Adam sees a woman sitting at the bus stop reading a book. He checks the time on his phone. _7:54_, he thinks, relieved that he is not too late to catch his usual 8 o'clock bus. He jogged the remaining distance and sits down beside the mystery woman and studied her shamelessly. She had long brunette hair that was held by a blue ribbon, fashioned in a bow at the nape of her neck. She wore a long light blue dress with a white jacket. She was also reading a book called Arabian Nights. It sounded familiar to him.

_Maybe I read it in high school or in undergrad, _he ponders.

As his eyes start traveling up again, pausing for a moment at her breast and up her neck, he realized she had turned to face him, too._ Damn it, now I look like a freaking creep. _He quickly turned his gaze to the road.

_Where the hell is the bus it's 8: 05? I just need to leave. That's it. Get up and leave. Walk to school if you have to. _Adam started to stand._ She probably thinks I'm a creeper. I would think the same thing if some kid in ugly navy blue scrubs and coffee breathe ogled at me_. Adam mentally argued with himself.

"Excuse me?" said the mystery beauty, interrupting his internal panic.

"Umm, huh?" said Adam, mentally scolded himself on that intelligent respond.

_Oh, damn, I forgot to brush my teeth, didn't I? _

"I thought the westbound 34 bus arrived at 7: 50?" she said while looking at her expensive watch. _Probably rich, but why is a rich girl riding the bus? Sure daddy can buy her a car or actually she looks- _

"Hello?" Her soft voice broke his train of thought.

"Yeah, the bus is probably running late," he says, smiling politely.

"Oh." She looks away.

Adam nods. The atmosphere was sudden uncomfortable. He turns away and sees a bus coming their way.

"Actually, here comes Westbound 34, right now." He looked up, but she was already standing and boarding the bus. "Goodbye, I guess."

His bus was Eastbound 34, which was coming right now. He boarded the bus and took a seat.

He started thinking about the mysterious brown haired beauty he had just seen. He thought about her how she looked and the way she flipped the pages of her book. She was really into the book, so concentrated and amused.

Now this beautiful woman is going to be stuck in his mind all day. _Well, at least it won't be the sound of Lumiere's girl toy giggling. _


	2. Chapter 2

Bus Stop by JT and MF

C2

"There are times when I doubt everything. When I regret everything you've taken from me, everything I've given you, and the waste of all the time I've spent on us." ~David Levithan

"Who the fuck are you dressing up for? " Gaston spat. Belle's intoxicated husband of 5 years was on their bed.

"No one. It's the first day of my new job, remember?" Belle told him. "I just wanted to look pretty." _And sexy._

Belle was wearing a black dress. It stopped right above the knee and had a scooped neckline. She bought it two days ago at a boutique in Paris. She thought it looked conservative and sexy in a grown up way especially with the white jacket she already had at home. It was her first job in a new city, in a place she can start over and become a fresh woman. She was a book editor for Rose Book Publishing, she love the idea of reading numerous books every day and making them perfect.

If she could have been great at perfecting her marriage with Gaston, her life would have been a little more tolerable. Since he starting drinking again, she has been faced with a ticking time bomb.

He slowly walks toward her, her breathing started to slow, she knows what to come.

She can smell the foul smell of alcohol on his breath as he leans his head down to her ear. "You look like a fucking whore. Let me wipe that fucking make-up off." He licks his fingers and smears her red lipstick across her cheek.

"That's better" he said. Looking so proud of what he accomplished.

"Now you look like a clown." Gaston cackled evilly. "Go wash your damn face."

Belle complied.

She went into the bathroom and washed her face, disheartened. _You will not start crying, get over it, he's drunk. That's what he does. You're not going to cry._ She lifted her head up and stared at her pale face. _Get this day over with. _

"REMEMBER TO CHANGE YOUR STRIPPER OUTFIT!" she heard her obnoxious husband shout though the bathroom door. She went into the closet and pick out a long light blue dress and change into that, opting to keep the white jacket on.

"Is this acceptable?" Belle asks, stepping out of the closet.

"Yes, you look less like a stripper." Gaston grabs her face, drunkenly. "I wouldn't have to treat you like this if you didn't wear such slutty outfits. This is your fault."

A tear manages to fall from her eye. "I'm sorry, Gaston. It'll never happen again."

His hold tightens. "It better not." Gaston releases her. "I'll consider forgiving you if you bring home a pack of cigars tonight. Not the cheap shit either."

"I will. I'll be on my way now." She turns to leave, but not before he grabs her and kisses her roughly. He forces his tongue in to her mouth and she registers the taste of cognac before he pushes her away.

Gaston laughs. "You'll get more of that later."

Belle smiles softly and leaves, taking the first book she sees with her.

She doesn't realize she is crying until she touches her face later.

Hurrying down the street, she checks her watch 7:40. She took out her make-up bag and re-applied her make-up; she was pleased with the look.

Belle decided to pull out the book she grabbed from the counter. "Arabian Nights, lovely" she said out loud.

She checked her watch again, 7: 50. _The bus should be here by now_. She ponders.

She continued reading her book, enjoying the adventure she had been transported into. At 7:53, she sees a tall, young man in navy blue scrubs running toward the bus stop with a heavy bag.

He finally stopped and sat beside her, she smelled the scent of French vanilla wafting from him. She can feel his eyes on her, scanning her. She started to feel uncomfortable and turned to face him.

She noticed his bright blue eyes and the scope of his long eyelashes and how his brown hair fell perfectly down his sculpted face. _Heavens, he sure is blessed. _She exhaled a breath she subconsciously held.

"Excuse me?" Belle said.

"Umm, huh?" said the tall, blue-eyed man.

"I thought the westbound 34 bus arrived at 7:50?" Belle said, staring at his pouty lips.

"Hello?" Belle said.

"Yeah, the bus is probably running late" he says, shining his pearly white.

"Oh." She looked away.

She looked at her watch. _I need to get to work. _Suddenly she looked up as the boy said "Actually, here comes Westbound 34, right now."

Belle got up before the boy could finish his question. She heard him softly say "Goodbye, I guess".

"Bye" Belle quietly said to herself once she sat down. She opened her book and began to absentminded read the book, but she knew she was thinking about his bright, full of life blue eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

C3

The next day, Adam grabbed his bag and left his apartment at his usual time, slowly walking down the street towards the bus stop. He had noted the unbelievable drop in temperature in comparison to the day before and had changed into a thick, furry brown sweater before he left.

Seeking protection from the harsh cold, Adam shoved his hands into his pockets. He flinched when he felt the frigid metal of his outdated iPod. Pulling it out, along with some headphones, Adam scrolled through his music library until he found what he was looking for. He cranked up the music on his iPod and sang out loud to one of his favorite songs.

"All that I wanted was a little touch

A little tenderness and truth, I didn't ask for much, no

Talk about being at the wrong place at the wrong time

Miss Atomic Bomb"

In the distance Adam sees the mysterious, brown haired beauty. He checks the time on his iPod. 7:30 A.M. Checking her out from a distance, he takes in her casual, baby pink dress and gray sweater and her brown boots. She looks so calm, cool and very conservative. He sees people at the usually empty bus stop, a mom with two children and an old man with a cane reading a newspaper.

Adam notices she's reading the same book from yesterday. Adjusting his backpack, Adam clears his throat as he reaches her.

"Wasn't it like 88° degree yesterday, I swear this weather needs a psychiatrist." Adam jokily stated. She glances up at him and returned back to her book.

"Okay, umm….Good morning," Adam says as he sits down, his iPod still booming.

"Umm… hello," she replies, meekly. She doesn't even look at him. _Not very talkative._

Adjusting her position, she continues to read her book. Adam looked at her crossed legs, they had faded scars on them. She notices him staring at her legs and Adam quickly focus on the little girl's voice.

"Mom…. mommy, its cold outside can we take our car?" she said, growing very impatient with her mother ignoring her. The older of the two, probably eight year old, said "Sawyer, mommy car isn't working, okay?"

The little girl calmed down and sat in her brother's lap.

The mom looked like she was having an awful day, while the old man was quietly reading his newspaper. He seems to be reading it upside down, though.

Adam returned his gaze to the beautiful girl beside him when she begin to speak.

"Umm, C-can you please lower your music please?" she mumbles. He smiles at the sound of her voice.

"Okay, sure. No problem" Adam complies. Eager to hold her attention, he continues to speak. "So, you don't like The Killers?"

"It's not for me. It's for teenagers with broken hearts." She say while inspecting her book. It looked like it should be put out of its misery. Adam packs up his iPod.

He noticed her hands, small and very fragile. Her fingernails were painted red, almost a blood red, but they were severely chipped.

"Why do you say that? You can't be that old. Come on, you look like you're 20." Adam enquire.

She smiles and turns towards him suddenly. This give Adam a chance appreciate her beauty. Her smile somehow made her even more dazzling.

"You're beautiful," Adam says, lowly. He blurted it out before he could stop himself. Adam feels his cheeks get hot and mentally kicks himself. Adam decides that this is it. This is the most embarrassing moment of his life.

The little girl started looking at him. _Great, witnesses_.

Her smile slowly fell, "Thank you, but I'm not 20." She turns away from him again.

Adam felt disappointed. They're back at square one.

"Oh," Adam says, trying to salvage the conversation. "So, how old are you? " He looks at her face intently. This time he noticed a big gash beside her cheek that was hastily covered with makeup. The gruesome scar seemed to be a few years old, but it didn't take away from her beauty at all.

"You can't be in your 50's... Because if so, Mother Gothel needs to know how to legally stay young forever."

She laughed at Adam's attempt of a joke.

Adam sees her bus coming into view. He checks his phone. 7:50.

"By the way, what's your name?"

Standing up, she adjusted her knee-length dress and her gray sweater. Even though she looked stunning, she looked very feeble, she was very slim, border lining on being anorexic.

"SORRY…. UMM, CAN YOU REPEAT?" She was in the line getting ready to load onto the bus. The engine purred loudly.

"BELLE" she shouted

"ADAM" he shouted back, while pointing to himself. His bus rolled up behind hers.

She nodded and mouthed "Nice to meet you" Then she disappeared from his view.

"Ditto" Adam said while going into the bus.

"Belle" He whispered to himself, taking a seat.

_Appropriate._


	4. Chapter 4

C 4

"Marriage changes passion ... suddenly you're in bed with a former saint." –Unknown

That night, Belle walked into her house. She nervously looked around for her callous husband.

She breathe a sigh of relief, realizing he isn't home yet. Gaston owns a hunting gear company, where he goes occasionally to oversee business, signs papers and attend meetings.

Belle decided to treat herself to a relaxing bath.

In her master bathroom, Belle smiles at the large soaking tub at the far end of the room. The tub is big enough to fit three people and looked deep enough to swim in. She was shocked when Gaston had chosen such a glamourous home for them to live in.

She opened the drawer and saw a bath bomb her dearest friend, Mrs. Potts, got her for her birthday last year. She grabs her phone and her book from her workbag and set both on the counter beside the tub.

Turning the faucet, Belle undresses as she waits for hot water to fill the tub. She grimaces as she notices her reflection in the full sized mirror next to the tub. The older bruises on her neck and collar bones had already turned yellow as they had started to heal but the fresh ones on her stomach and sides colored her fair skin purple and blue. Turning away from her reflection, Belle closes her eyes as she remembers what she had done to deserve that beating.

_~~~Last Night~~~_

_Gaston was drunk again, so Belle figured he wouldn't remember when she came in late from work that night. She had lost track of time and had missed her usual bus and had to take a later one. In her confusion she had forgotten to pick up his cigars, but she didn't worry. It would be a miracle if he was sober enough to remember their last name._

_Belle had ran all the way home to make dinner and when she didn't find Gaston in the living room, Belle made her way to the kitchen. She found him rummaging through their refrigerator._

"_I'm home, dear," Belle panted, out of breath. She put her bag on the kitchen table, hung her coat on the back of a chair, and quickly slip on an apron. "I'll get started on dinner right away."_

_Gaston turned to look at her, slamming the refrigerator door shut. His eyes were red and, despite the distance between them, Belle could smell the whiskey on him._

"_You better, bitch," Gaston slurred, drunkenly._

_Belle turned away, quickly making her way to the pantry. As she looked through their food supply, she hears Gaston say something._

"_What was that, dear?" Belle asked, looking at him._

"_I SAID, WHERE THE HELL ARE MY CIGARS?"_

_Frowning, she tried to explain herself._

"_Gaston, as hard as I tried, I couldn't make it out of work on time. I couldn't make it to the store. I'm sorry. But I promise to—" Her sentence is cut short by a swift, but hard slap to her face._

"_You had one GODDAMN job!" Gaston yelled furiously at her._

_Belle's cheek burned and she felt tears well up in her eyes. But she wouldn't cry. Instead, she looked up at him and smiled obediently._

"_I'm sorry, sweetheart. I'm sure the corner store is still open. Let me go get them for you."_

_As she attempted to walk pass him, Gaston grabs her hair roughly, spins her around, and pins her to the wall. He releases her hair in favor of her pale neck._

"_You ungrateful bitch," Gaston spat at her cruelly. "You couldn't do this one thing her me?!"_

"_Gaston—y-y-you're hurting me," Belle choked out, weakly._

_Gaston smiled, tighten his hold. "It's only been a few years, Have you really forgotten?" Reeling back his fist, he looked into her eyes as he said, "You hurt me first."_

_As his fist slammed into her gut, Belle felt the wind being knocked out of her. Gaston continued to punch her as screamed at her._

"_THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"_

_When he finally released her, she dropped to the ground, gasping for air. He stepped away from her, wiping the tears from his own face, and left the kitchen._

_It was then Belle finally let herself cry._

_~~End of Flashback~~_

She started easing herself down into the warm jasmine and sage scented water. She began notices the little pink flower petals that were flowing on the top.

For the first time in forever, Belle felt genuinely safe and secure.

She began to hum that song that kept replaying in her head today. She couldn't remember the name of the song, she grabbed her phone and typed the song lyrics she knew into google.

She played the song loudly, she began sinking lower and lower into the now fuchsia water.

Completely submerged she began to think about Adam.

She thought about his sparking blue eyes and how he naturally seems to exude confidence. Just looking into his eyes compelled her. She could only imagine what Gaston would do to her if he found out.

She came up for air. The song still booming.

"What are you doing Belle?" she asked herself.

Forgetting about the book, she went back to daydreaming about Adam. Oh, she loves him debonair smile and chisel facial features. He was beautiful. And funny. A million dollar man, something Gaston would never be again.

-Next Day-

Belle was suddenly awaken by Gaston strong hands squeezing her waist. He was sleeping, but regardless, his hold on her was constricting. Tense, she wondered why Gaston was holding her. They hadn't shared a single intimate moment since…

Belle blinks quickly, fighting back tears. She refuses to think about the past.

Glancing at the clock beside the bed, Belle gasps as she realizes she had overslept and now only had forty-five minutes to get ready. Belle tries to free herself from Gaston, but unintentionally jostles him awake.

"What the fuck? " Gaston mumbles, angrily.

She picked her words carefully. "I'm sorry, but sweetheart, can you release me?"

"No"

Gaston move his hand toward her neck. He started to tighten his grip around her neck.

"Please. I'll be late."

Gaston runs his nose against her neck.

"You smell delicious. Like an expensive stripper" Gaston whispers.

"I-I-I-I-I…." Belle could hardly get her words out.

"Shut up and don't move. Damn, I love that neck of yours." Gaston says, breathing against her neck.

Belle continue to stay still, while Gaston got up and cross the room, heading towards the bathroom.

She continued to stay still looking at the alarm clock, 6:35. She needs to start getting ready.

Belle exits her trance and walk slowly toward her closet. She brings her hand toward her throat once she got there.

In the mirror on the wall, she begin to see bruises forming.

"Turtleneck, it is" Belle softly said. Pulling out a black turtleneck dress.

Belle jump at the sound of her husband's voice. Who was beginning to walk toward her.

He take huge step, since he was 6'1 and slim. "It looks Grandma- ish, I don't fancy it" Gaston chimed in.

"I have to hide this" Belle points at the bruises around her neck.

"Oh, babe, it doesn't look bad"

"It looks bad. I-I-I- think we counseling Gaston, some anger counseling." Belle bravely said.

"Counseling?" Gaston said, like the words were poison on his lips.

"We don't need any motherfucking COUNSELING!?" Gaston temper was rising.

"Gaston, calm do-" and at that moment, Belle got slapped across the face.

"Bitch, don't tell me to calm down, Okay?"

"Okay Gaston" Belle said holding her left cheek.

"You always have to aggravate me, huh? It's—it's like you're asking me to hit you" Gaston says, pacing around the room.

Belle hurriedly went into the bathroom. Not stopping to take a shower, she puts on the black dress and brushes her hair, so it cascade down her shoulders. She begins to cover her small, red face with makeup.

The man from the bus stop, Adam, crosses her mind at that moment. That thought seems to be the only think that calms her.

Ten minutes later, Gaston left their bedroom and Belle breathe a sigh of relief. Heading towards the front door, she sees a tipsy Gaston with a wine bottle in his hand.

"BB-BBB-BB-B- abe, kissy kiss" He said point towards his lips.

She continue standing at her location, debating whether to walk toward him. She decided against it and remain glued to the floor.

She checked her watch, 7:15.

Gaston drunkenly walk toward her and kissed her hard on the lips. His kisses where vicious and brutal.

After he got his fix, she rush out of the house, tears blinding her vision.


End file.
